Chapter 2

Claire smiled triumphantly, urging Bruce to hang up.

Grandpa Sterling looked ashamed. He couldn't bring himself to persuade me to keep waiting for Bruce to come around.

"Are you sure you want Kevin? His background…"

I cut him off, looking directly into the intense, unspoken depths of Kevin's eyes.

Taking a deep breath.

"I choose him."

My mom once mentioned she'd seen Kevin at an exclusive private auction.

This illegitimate son was far more complex than Grandpa Sterling imagined.

Love and leverage. I had to secure at least one.

A new groom's suit needed to be made, so Kevin and my wedding was set for a week later.

Grandpa Sterling looked at me with complex emotions, letting out a long sigh.

"On your wedding day, I'll announce the change of the Sterling family heir."

With a new groom, other things naturally needed changing too.

When I went to the jewelry store to pick new wedding rings, I unexpectedly ran into Bruce and Claire, who had just returned.

Our eyes met, and the expression on Bruce's face grew cold.

"Aurora Cheng, you've really got guts. You actually managed to convince Grandpa to cut off my cards."

"I hate being forced to do things. Don't think that just because I'm back, I'll marry you."

A flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes.

"Did you intentionally track my movements and come here to corner me?"

Claire nudged him, pouting playfully.

"She's completely infatuated with you, Bruce! What kind of attitude is that?!"

Claire, making no effort to hide their closeness, linked her arm through his and smirked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"He's just like that, don't take it personally. Don't worry, I'll make sure to train Bruce well before I hand him over to you."

Bruce allowed her to cling tightly to him, his expression full of indulgence.

But in the past, when I walked with him, if I so much as tried to hold his hand, he would subtly pull away.

"So many people watching. It feels… uncomfortable."

It turns out, he was only uncomfortable with *my* closeness.

I took a deep breath, pushing down the swirling emotions in my chest.

"Don't worry, I won't force you to marry me."

Bruce froze, a frown just starting to form, when the sales assistant walked over.

"Miss Cheng, the wedding rings you selected are all wrapped up."

Bruce scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"You've already picked out wedding rings, and you're still saying you don't want to marry me?"

He grabbed my hand.

"Put it on. Let me see if it fits."

His voice suddenly stopped. His gaze fell on the faint ring mark still visible on my finger.

His voice caught.

"Where's the ring I gave you before?"

"Threw it away."

My tone was flat.

The day I decided to cancel the wedding, I tossed it.

It was the first gift Bruce ever gave me, with our initials engraved on the inside.

He, usually so rebellious, had a rare blush on his ears as he fiercely pressed it into my hand.

"I carved it myself. If you lose it, I'll never forgive you."

But later, he was the one who lost it first.

When I found his shattered ring in the trash, Bruce awkwardly rubbed his nose.

"Claire was drunk and insisted on taking it off to look. I don't know how it ended up like that. Just toss it. I'll get a new one made."

But I waited and waited, and he never got a new one made.